Before I had even hit publish on my Project 333 post, I had started shopping for just one more thing to fill my capsule wardrobe. Not from my closet which would have been the logical place, but online, in all of those wonderful slow fashion shops that I had spoke of in my capsule wardrobe post. This led me down a rabbit hole of online and consignment shops which ended up with me owning new clothes that I didn’t need.

How it all started

Last week, I found myself shopping for yet another jumpsuit, even though I am still waiting for one to arrive from an early June purchase. Then I started looking at a pair of wide leg pants and a matching top. Maybe that would be a better option since it still looks like a jumpsuit but it’s separates, so more versatility.

Finally, I made the decision to order the jumpsuit. After all, I could always return it if it didn’t work out. So with card in hand, I started the checkout process. But before I submitted the order, I hesitated and then I closed the browser without completing the purchase. Again, more time wasted looking online, and for what? I had all of the clothing items for my capsule picked out. I did not need any more clothes.

So I went on about my day and I was quite proud of myself for not ordering anything. Until the next morning, that is. I made myself a cup of coffee and then proceeded to order a cami, a neck scarf and a pair of wide leg pants. After all, I didn’t have a pair of wide leg pants (at the time) and if I am only going to wear the same clothing for the next 3 months, then I reasoned that I deserved these new clothes.

The Snowball

That started a snowball of clothing purchases. You see, last weekend I had been at a consignment shop and although I had found 3 items to purchase, I had put one top back. And then I thought about it constantly. Normally, when this happens, I give myself permission to buy the item. So, since the clothing challenge and shopping ban hadn’t yet started for me, I decided that I would go back to the shop and if it was still there I would buy it. Well, it was still there. So were 2 pairs of pants that I just had to have. In a different store that I hadn’t intended to shop at, I found another top.

So in a few days, I had managed to intentionally add 10 new items to my wardrobe, not to mention the 2 that I ordered in early June that I have yet to receive. I did get a notice that one of the items that I had ordered was no longer available and I was issued a refund, bringing the total down to 9.

My shopping ban rules

This constant need to add just one more thing has me a little worried and stressed out. This slipping back into old habits lately has really been messing with how I should be thinking about things and I most definitely need a reset on how I’ve been thinking about clothing. I am hoping that this 3 month capsule wardrobe and shopping ban will be the reset that I need.

The rules of this clothes shopping ban will be:

1. No shopping for clothing, whatsoever. That means no new or used clothing for the duration of the break.
2. I will permit myself to take a break for 2 weeks in September while I am on vacation. I will add the 2 weeks at the end, so the shopping ban will end mid-October.
3. I cannot find my watch. One day I had it and the next I didn’t. Not sure if I lost it when we were away a few weeks ago? If this continues, I will permit myself to buy a new one because I enjoy wearing a watch and it is a part of my everyday accessories.

It seems weird to do a challenge centered around clothing when I am trying to think less about clothing. But I’m hoping that it will help me to love the wardrobe that I already have and to help me stop obsessing over getting new things. It also seems weird and self-absorbed to have so many conflicting feeling about clothes. In her Ted Talk, titled “Don’t Tell me Fashion is Frivolous”, Frances Corner states that “the average woman spends 16 minutes, probably tries on 2 outfits and maybe have even spent 15 minutes the night before” when figuring out what to wear for the day. That seems about right for me and that’s a lot of time (outside of the time spent shopping) that I am thinking about my clothes. And all of this thinking and shopping has left me in a state of wanting things that I don’t really need.

How to discourage shopping

I thought of some questions that I wish I would have asked myself before I had to purchase JUST ONE MORE piece of clothing:

1. Do I need this?
2. Do I even want this?
3. Do I have something similar in my closet already?
4. Will purchasing this make all of my dreams come true (I included this one for a chuckle, but will it)?
5. Is this something that I will treasure and wear for a very long time?

About my recent purchases I would have answered no, yes, no, definitely no, definitely yes (for some at least). Based on my answers to the above questions, I’ve decided that I will not feel guilty about these purchases. A few were intentional and a few were not, but that’s okay.

And although I won’t be buying any clothes for the next 3 months, once the ban is over, I will make it a habit to refer back to these questions when I am considering a purchase.

But I don’t expect my desire to shop will disappear overnight. That is why I am going to implement the following practices to ensure the success of this shopping ban:

1. Unsubscribe from the email lists of my favorite online shops.
2. Stay away from physical shops.
3. Remove the bookmarks of my favorite online shops from my browser.
4. Read books related to minimalism and intentional living to reinforce the idea that I do not need these things.
5. Watch documentaries and Ted Talks related to the fashion industry and its effects on the environment.

I think these are tips that I can implement with or without a shopping ban to take away the temptation to shop.

Conclusion

Three months seems like a very long time as I sit here writing this at 2 days in. I guess that is a pretty good indicator that I need this. I figure that if I am putting this out in the universe, it should hold me accountable.

Have any of you done a shopping ban? If so, do you have any advice? What was the hardest/easiest part? If you haven’t, would you ever consider doing one? Why or why not?

xG